Originally Posted by
tdracer
....I'd bet pretty good money that the 777-8 will make it into production - just not per the previous schedule.
Yes, but in the meantime other operators are thinking about ULH, some are even rumoured to be eyeing Australia. If QF was to wait for the 777-8 which may be later cancelled they would surrender first mover advantage to a customer with the A350-1000ULR.
There isn’t a compelling reason for Boeing to do the -8 anytime soon. A -8F might be a different kettle of fish, but a freighter optimised MLW might be counter-productive for an ULH pax version. In any event the entire world demand for ULH can’t be 100 aircraft.
You know what this stuff costs-do you think the -8 engineering would be in the 150 million neighborhood, or am I still expecting to see 25¢ gasoline?